Adjustable attachment for bridgework



Feb. 3, 1942. P. s. ECKMAN 2,271,796 ADJUSTABLE ATTACHMENT FORBRIDGEWORK I Filed July 2, 1940 t INVENTOR. PAUL/NE 31 Ec/(MAN lATTORNEY m Hln Patented Feb. 3, 1942 ADJUSTABLE ATTACHMENT FOR-BRIDGEWORK Pauline S. Eckman, San Francisco, Calif.

Application July 2, 1940, Serial No. 343,630

1 Claim.

This invention relates to attachments for use in connecting or anchoringbridge work to an adjacent natural tooth.

It is the principal object of my present invention to provide animproved and efiicient attachment for use in connecting bridge work to anat- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device or attach- I ment.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the anchoring member formingone of the complemental parts of the attachment;

Fig. 5 is a similar View of the anchor housing or socket member formingthe other complemental part of the attachment.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing, I thereillustrate a device for attaching or connecting together two contiguousteeth. That is to say, its usual use is to attach a dummy tooth to anatural tooth, and, consequently, will have its-principal use inanchoring bridge work to an adjacent natural tooth.

The attachment comprises an anchor housing or socket element l which isembedded and secured in the natural tooth in the manner and by the meanswell known to the dental profession. This socket element ID has acylindrical bore H extending downwardly from its upper end to a pointjust short of the bottom thereof, as illustrated. This forms a bottombearing plate Ila in the anchor housing In.

At one side the anchor housing or socket element Ill is verticallyslotted as at 12 co-extensive- 1y with the bore H and radially withrelation to that bore. The width of the slot I2 is somewhat less thanthe diameter of the bore II.

For cooperation with the anchor housing H1 is an anchor member M, whichhas a head portion I complemental in external contour and dimen sions tothe bore II and slot 12. This being so, the head IE will snugly fit andnest within the bore 1 l and slot l2 and bear on the bearing plate Theanchor member l4 also has lateral extensions l6 forming shoulders llbearing against the exterior of the housing H1 at opposite sides of theslot l2. The anchor member M has a projecting attachment arm Ila bymeans of which it may be securely attached to the dummy tooth or bridgework in any well known manner. Any other form of attachment can besubstituted for the attachment arm Ila without departing from myinvention.

For the purpose of maintaining a proper fit between the head member l5and the bore H in the housing I!) and also to compensate for anylooseness therebetween occasioned by Wear or otherwise, the head member!5 is formed with a threaded tapered bore l8 extending coaxially of thecylindrical portion of the head member, as illustrated, thus forming ahollow cylindrical portion on the head member l5. At one side of thishollow cylindrical portion the same is longitudinally slotted as at 19so that the head member will be expansible. Fitting the tapered threadedbore I8 is a tapered threaded set screw 20. It is obvious that as thisset screw is threaded downwardly into the bore, it will expand the headmember to a desired fit with the bore II, and by this means anylooseness occasioned by wear or otherwise may be compensated for. It isalso obvious that adjustment may be expeditiously made at any time thatit is found necessary.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided an improved andefficient connection for use in connecting bridge work to natural teeth,and while I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is: v

A device of the character described comprising an anchor housing adaptedto be secured to one. of two adjacent teeth, said anchor housing havinga cylindrical bore extending downwardly from its upper end but extendingshort of its lower end, said anchor housing having a slot between saidbore and one side of the housing slightly less in width than thediameter of the bore, an anchor member adapted to be fixed to the otherof said teeth and having a head portion complemental to said bore andslot, said head portion having a tapered bore coaxially with respect tothe bore in the housing, said head por-.

